This chapter in Luke is perhaps one of the most encouraging when it comes to the subject of prayer. Our text lays out a blueprint for prayer and gives us the example from which we should pattern prayer. The description in the latter verses of our text demonstrate the love that God has for His creation. His intent for us is nothing less than the very best. It is clear that He wants to meet the needs of His children. Even in our limited human capacity, if our children ask something that they need, we will do everything in our power to meet that need. So it is with our heavenly father. Prayer is the key to the relationship with God. The desire to pray is likened to the need for breath. Without air, we will soon die. In our spiritual life, failure to pray will lead to spiritual death. We must all learn the necessity of daily prayer. Prayer is the key to a victorious life. If we do not pray, we will die. Prayer is the key to dealing with life's problems. In prayer, God has a way of getting into our life and dealing with those issues. Prayer is communication. It is not gripes or complaints. it is a two way communication. The Lord's prayer is not a thing to repeat verbatim. It is a pattern and example of HOW to pray. The first part of the prayer has to do with God's interests. The second part of the prayer deals with human interests. If we start with HIs interests and then move to ours, our interests will be first in His response. God's priority must come first before the needs we have. Too many people start with their own needs.

The story about the man asking for bread describes the attitude with which we should pray. The man was not embarrassed to keep knocking and asking. He was not ashamed to ask for assistance with his need. The story is not to demonstrate God’s reluctance to help, but it illustrates the contrast between human attitudes about helping and God’s attitude about helping his children. Our concerns are God's concerns. Our text concludes with a description of the attitude we need to bring to prayer. Ask and it will be given; Seek and we shall find. Ae must ask with expectancy. If we pray expecting that God will provide that; God will honor that. If our child ask for something, would we frustrate them or provide them something dangerous? If we being human would do the best to give our children something that they need, how much more will God being perfect give to His children? We would not mock our children’s needs, but would try to meet those needs. Given all the benefits of prayer; Given the life changing results of prayer, whey don’t we pray? This is not an indictment, but a question. The question can become convicting. Why don’t we pray?

This chapter in Luke is perhaps one of the most encouraging when it comes to the subject of prayer. Our text lays out a blueprint for prayer and gives us the example from which we should pattern prayer. The description in the latter verses of our text demonstrate the love that God has for His creation. His intent for us is nothing less than the very best. It is clear that He wants to meet the needs of His children. Even in our limited human capacity, if our children ask something that they need, we will do everything in our power to meet that need. So it is with our heavenly father. Prayer is the key to the relationship with God. The desire to pray is likened to the need for breath. Without air, we will soon die. In our spiritual life, failure to pray will lead to spiritual death. We must all learn the necessity of daily prayer. Prayer is the key to a victorious life. If we do not pray, we will die. Prayer is the key to dealing with life's problems. In prayer, God has a way of getting into our life and dealing with those issues. Prayer is communication. It is not gripes or complaints. it is a two way communication. The Lord's prayer is not a thing to repeat verbatim. It is a pattern and example of HOW to pray. The first part of the prayer has to do with God's interests. The second part of the prayer deals with human interests. If we start with HIs interests and then move to ours, our interests will be first in His response. God's priority must come first before the needs we have. Too many people start with their own needs.

The story about the man asking for bread describes the attitude with which we should pray. The man was not embarrassed to keep knocking and asking. He was not ashamed to ask for assistance with his need. The story is not to demonstrate God’s reluctance to help, but it illustrates the contrast between human attitudes about helping and God’s attitude about helping his children. Our concerns are God's concerns. Our text concludes with a description of the attitude we need to bring to prayer. Ask and it will be given; Seek and we shall find. Ae must ask with expectancy. If we pray expecting that God will provide that; God will honor that. If our child ask for something, would we frustrate them or provide them something dangerous? If we being human would do the best to give our children something that they need, how much more will God being perfect give to His children? We would not mock our children’s needs, but would try to meet those needs. Given all the benefits of prayer; Given the life changing results of prayer, whey don’t we pray? This is not an indictment, but a question. The question can become convicting. Why don’t we pray?

Everything that we desire in 2016 is nearer than we believe. This time of year, we read many predictions of the new year will hold. From the amazing to the absurd we can find it all on the internet: Who will win sporting events, who will win political office, who will succeed or fail in business. Today, on the first service of the new year, Bro. Hughes comes to predict what is in store for us in 2016. Our text begins with a disclaimer: Be not deceived. God would not have made that statement if it were not possible. The danger here is not being deceived by others, but by our own thoughts The conversation we have in our own head is the subject of this principle. Many will try to convince themselves that God’s word is not what they know it to be. Given the history of truth and demonstration of God’s word, many will question, deny or ignore that word and convince themselves that it does not apply to them. Paul states that God will not be mocked. The word implies that the reader would turn his nose up at the word of God. We can turn our nose up all we want, but God will not be mocked. Heeding the word of God will determine if 2016 will be the best year we have ever had, or the worst. The principle is simple: What we plant will determine the future before it ever begins. We determine what the harvest will be in 2016 by what we sow. All of us will plant things this year. If we want a year filled with joy, then we must plant joy. If we want a year of blessing, then we must plant blessing. If we want a year of mercy, then we must plant seeds of mercy. We will not get something back from life that we are not willing to put into it. We can ignore and refute this simple truth all we want, but that does not exempt us from the fact that we will reap what we sow. People do not determine what happens to our life, we do. We hold in our hands the seeds of what will become of our life in 2016.

Everything that we desire in 2016 is nearer than we believe. This time of year, we read many predictions of the new year will hold. From the amazing to the absurd we can find it all on the internet: Who will win sporting events, who will win political office, who will succeed or fail in business. Today, on the first service of the new year, Bro. Hughes comes to predict what is in store for us in 2016. Our text begins with a disclaimer: Be not deceived. God would not have made that statement if it were not possible. The danger here is not being deceived by others, but by our own thoughts The conversation we have in our own head is the subject of this principle. Many will try to convince themselves that God’s word is not what they know it to be. Given the history of truth and demonstration of God’s word, many will question, deny or ignore that word and convince themselves that it does not apply to them. Paul states that God will not be mocked. The word implies that the reader would turn his nose up at the word of God. We can turn our nose up all we want, but God will not be mocked. Heeding the word of God will determine if 2016 will be the best year we have ever had, or the worst. The principle is simple: What we plant will determine the future before it ever begins. We determine what the harvest will be in 2016 by what we sow. All of us will plant things this year. If we want a year filled with joy, then we must plant joy. If we want a year of blessing, then we must plant blessing. If we want a year of mercy, then we must plant seeds of mercy. We will not get something back from life that we are not willing to put into it. We can ignore and refute this simple truth all we want, but that does not exempt us from the fact that we will reap what we sow. People do not determine what happens to our life, we do. We hold in our hands the seeds of what will become of our life in 2016.

Although it is one of the shortest books in the bible, it is contains some of the most profound statements to be recorded. Habakkuk shows us that we can be as open and honest with God about our lives and our situations, and that God will not be offended. God is not threatened by our questions or our problems. Habakkuk is unique not in what he says, but in the direction he faced as a prophet. All of the other prophets were speaking from God to men. Habakkuk was speaking from men to God. He was in the midst of a storm. The first chapter reveals a man who was questioning how his world had gotten to the state it was. Like so many others he questioned how God could allow all that was going to to go on. God was seeming in different in a critical time. Habakkauk was deeply troubled by this. How long Lord? How long will be before you answer my prayer. How long before you right all the wrongs. The moral dilemma that Habakkauk was struggling with was how could God allow a pagan society to overrun a Godly people. The answer to Habakkauk's problems was within himself. The clue is int he meaning of his name. Habakkauk means to wrestle or to embrace. He does both. He wrestles with the silence of God, he wrestles with the state of Israel, and he wrestles with what God was doing. He wrestled with the common question of how can a loving God allow evil to happen. The problem is not with evil, but with focus. Wrestling with all these problems led Habakkauk to a breakthrough. There is a vast difference in the beginning of the book and the end of the book. It begins with a burden, and it ends with one of the most powerful praises in the bible. God gave him a revelation, not an explanation. God could have answered Habakkauk's questions, but that would have just led to more questions. When we have a revelation, the why does not matter. When he realized who God was and what He was, Habakkuk went from wrestling with God to embracing Him. The only way to get where we need to be is to embrace. We can spend the rest of our life wrestling with the unanswerable questions in life and we will be no better off, but if we can get to the place where we embrace God for who He is, we can be lifted up. Quit wrestling with God and embrace Him. Habakkauk climbed to a tower and stayed until he had a breakthrough. As long as he was down on the level with his problems, he couldn't see anything but his problems. When he got to a higher vantage point, he could finally see what God wanted to show him. We need a better perspective if we are to have a better understanding. Some people will waste their whole life wrestling with their problems. If we will wait on the Lord, he will have it worked out. Habakkuk had what he needed. The faith that was required was already inside him. By the end of the book, Habakkuk was praising God. His circumstances had not changed, he had. That praise was always inside him. Praise is inside us too. That is the answer. The answer is in you.

Although it is one of the shortest books in the bible, it is contains some of the most profound statements to be recorded. Habakkuk shows us that we can be as open and honest with God about our lives and our situations, and that God will not be offended. God is not threatened by our questions or our problems. Habakkuk is unique not in what he says, but in the direction he faced as a prophet. All of the other prophets were speaking from God to men. Habakkuk was speaking from men to God. He was in the midst of a storm. The first chapter reveals a man who was questioning how his world had gotten to the state it was. Like so many others he questioned how God could allow all that was going to to go on. God was seeming in different in a critical time. Habakkauk was deeply troubled by this. How long Lord? How long will be before you answer my prayer. How long before you right all the wrongs. The moral dilemma that Habakkauk was struggling with was how could God allow a pagan society to overrun a Godly people. The answer to Habakkauk's problems was within himself. The clue is int he meaning of his name. Habakkauk means to wrestle or to embrace. He does both. He wrestles with the silence of God, he wrestles with the state of Israel, and he wrestles with what God was doing. He wrestled with the common question of how can a loving God allow evil to happen. The problem is not with evil, but with focus. Wrestling with all these problems led Habakkauk to a breakthrough. There is a vast difference in the beginning of the book and the end of the book. It begins with a burden, and it ends with one of the most powerful praises in the bible. God gave him a revelation, not an explanation. God could have answered Habakkauk's questions, but that would have just led to more questions. When we have a revelation, the why does not matter. When he realized who God was and what He was, Habakkuk went from wrestling with God to embracing Him. The only way to get where we need to be is to embrace. We can spend the rest of our life wrestling with the unanswerable questions in life and we will be no better off, but if we can get to the place where we embrace God for who He is, we can be lifted up. Quit wrestling with God and embrace Him. Habakkauk climbed to a tower and stayed until he had a breakthrough. As long as he was down on the level with his problems, he couldn't see anything but his problems. When he got to a higher vantage point, he could finally see what God wanted to show him. We need a better perspective if we are to have a better understanding. Some people will waste their whole life wrestling with their problems. If we will wait on the Lord, he will have it worked out. Habakkuk had what he needed. The faith that was required was already inside him. By the end of the book, Habakkuk was praising God. His circumstances had not changed, he had. That praise was always inside him. Praise is inside us too. That is the answer. The answer is in you.

Our text from Micah is perhaps one of the most profound in the Old Testament. It does not replace salvation, but it is a song of the saved. It is what is the result of salvation. Living in a culture characteristic by image worship and outright rebellion, Micah's writing could easily described our world today. The truth is that all of the people to whom Micah was addressing felt that they were right with God. They went through the motions, and adhered to the requirements, but they lacked an actual relationship with God. The part of their life that mattered to God, did not matter to them. They offered sacrifices, but they never offered themselves. They came to church, but left without being changed. They felt that since they showed up to church, that would be enough for God. They were good with the ceremonial proceedings, but not good with character. Salvation is not dependent on the external things, but on what is inside. Micah was telling Israel and us that God wants much more than an outward observance of ceremonial customs. There are things that matter to God that are not connected to the external things. Micah mentions three things. God is looking for men who will do justly. The key word is the action word DO. Our actions matter to God. How we live and how we act and interact with one another matter to God. The way we live every day of our lives matter to God. What we do and how we act DO matter to God. Our actions matter. We live under grace, but grace does not exempt us from living a life that is pure and clean. God requires that we live differently from the world. We must be morally and ethically right in our dealings with others. It matters that we love mercy. The key word is love. We use the word love to describe many things in our world. What we love matters to God. We must be in love with Him more than we love anything else in this world. Where our heart is, there too is our treasure. Our affections need governing. The third thing that matters to God is that we walk humbly. The word walk speaks of our attitude. Our attitude matters to God. Most often it is our attitude that gets us into trouble. Humbly means modest. Our world does not value modesty. Our attitude must be patient. Our attitude must be forgiving. Our attitude must not be arrogant. When we acknowledge our weakness and bow before Him, we find ourselves where He wants us to be. To do, to love and to act in a way that is pleasing to God should be our goal. These things still matter to God.

Our text from Micah is perhaps one of the most profound in the Old Testament. It does not replace salvation, but it is a song of the saved. It is what is the result of salvation. Living in a culture characteristic by image worship and outright rebellion, Micah's writing could easily described our world today. The truth is that all of the people to whom Micah was addressing felt that they were right with God. They went through the motions, and adhered to the requirements, but they lacked an actual relationship with God. The part of their life that mattered to God, did not matter to them. They offered sacrifices, but they never offered themselves. They came to church, but left without being changed. They felt that since they showed up to church, that would be enough for God. They were good with the ceremonial proceedings, but not good with character. Salvation is not dependent on the external things, but on what is inside. Micah was telling Israel and us that God wants much more than an outward observance of ceremonial customs. There are things that matter to God that are not connected to the external things. Micah mentions three things. God is looking for men who will do justly. The key word is the action word DO. Our actions matter to God. How we live and how we act and interact with one another matter to God. The way we live every day of our lives matter to God. What we do and how we act DO matter to God. Our actions matter. We live under grace, but grace does not exempt us from living a life that is pure and clean. God requires that we live differently from the world. We must be morally and ethically right in our dealings with others. It matters that we love mercy. The key word is love. We use the word love to describe many things in our world. What we love matters to God. We must be in love with Him more than we love anything else in this world. Where our heart is, there too is our treasure. Our affections need governing. The third thing that matters to God is that we walk humbly. The word walk speaks of our attitude. Our attitude matters to God. Most often it is our attitude that gets us into trouble. Humbly means modest. Our world does not value modesty. Our attitude must be patient. Our attitude must be forgiving. Our attitude must not be arrogant. When we acknowledge our weakness and bow before Him, we find ourselves where He wants us to be. To do, to love and to act in a way that is pleasing to God should be our goal. These things still matter to God.

A blessing often does not come in the form that we expect. In our text, Mary was engaged to be wed. She was expecting the wedding celebration that was the custom of the time. IN this time, Mary was visited by an Angel who tells her that she is highly favored. This blessing would not look like she would expect. When we think of God's blessing, we are hoping that God will give us things that will make life easier. However, often the blessing puts into a situation of conflict or turmoil. In Mary's case, she was not married and she would now have to live with the stigma of a single woman who was pregnant. Mary was not doubt spritual and devout. However her blessing took the form that would be a burden and a challenge to her life. The story of Joseph is another example of this. From the time that God gave Joseph the vision of the other sheves bowing down to his, Joseph's life took a path that cannot be described as a blessing. He was sold into slavery. He was lied on and cast into prison. The bible tell us that Joseph was tried, but not by humans. He was tried by God's word. During these long years, Joseph must have had doubts, but He remained true to the promise that God had given him. The pathway that leads to promise is evident in the stories of Mary and Joseph. Both of these people submitted to God's will. The burden we carry may in fact be God's blessing to our life because that unwanted burden will bring about the blessing that we desire. The only way that some will reach the throne is through the prison. We all want the blessing. Blessings will come with a struggle. Knowing that; Can you stand to be blessed?

A blessing often does not come in the form that we expect. In our text, Mary was engaged to be wed. She was expecting the wedding celebration that was the custom of the time. IN this time, Mary was visited by an Angel who tells her that she is highly favored. This blessing would not look like she would expect. When we think of God's blessing, we are hoping that God will give us things that will make life easier. However, often the blessing puts into a situation of conflict or turmoil. In Mary's case, she was not married and she would now have to live with the stigma of a single woman who was pregnant. Mary was not doubt spritual and devout. However her blessing took the form that would be a burden and a challenge to her life. The story of Joseph is another example of this. From the time that God gave Joseph the vision of the other sheves bowing down to his, Joseph's life took a path that cannot be described as a blessing. He was sold into slavery. He was lied on and cast into prison. The bible tell us that Joseph was tried, but not by humans. He was tried by God's word. During these long years, Joseph must have had doubts, but He remained true to the promise that God had given him. The pathway that leads to promise is evident in the stories of Mary and Joseph. Both of these people submitted to God's will. The burden we carry may in fact be God's blessing to our life because that unwanted burden will bring about the blessing that we desire. The only way that some will reach the throne is through the prison. We all want the blessing. Blessings will come with a struggle. Knowing that; Can you stand to be blessed?